Juan Simón Gutierrez

Cloister of the Convent of the Discalced Trinitarians, Seville;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 16 June 1810 (as Murillo);
Private collection, England.

F. Arana de Varflora, Compendio Historico Descriptivo de la muy Noble y muy Leal Ciudad de Sevilla. Metropoli de Andalucia, part 1, 1789, p. 53;
A. Ponz, Viage de España, en que se da noticia de las cosas mas apreciables, y dignas de saberse, que hay en ella, vol. IX, Seville 1786, Carta tercera, p. 105, no. 46;
J.M. Carriazo, "Correspondencia de Don Antonio Ponz con el Conde del Aguila", in Archivo Español de Arte y Arqueología, vol. V, 1929, p. 157;
D. Angulo Iñiguez, Murillo, Madrid 1981, vol. II, pp. 345-347;
D. Angulo Iñiguez, "Varias Obras de Estaban Márquez, Atribuidas a Murillo", in Revista Goya, no. 169-171, July-December, pp. 3-6;
E. Valdivieso, Pintura Barroca Sevillana, Seville 2003, p. 408.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The original canvas is lined and the paint surface is raised but stable. There is a vertical seam, down through the angels and Gabriel, with some restored loss along it. Paint loss to the floor beneath Gabriel, to the head of the angel above Gabriel and to some of the shaped top edge, have been restored out. The green cloth to Mary's altar is abraded along with some areas of the flat background beneath the dove and the faded blue of Mary's dress; all these areas have been strengthened. The rest of the painting appears in good condition and has been recently cleaned. Offered in a carved gilt wood frame in good condition."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Juan Simón Gutiérrez was a member of the Seville Academy from 1664-1672 and was probably taught by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, whose style he followed closely.

This Annuciation once formed part of a group of eight pictures, executed by Esteban Márquez, Juan Simón Gutiérrez and Mulato in collaboration, which depicted the life of the Virgin and which decorated the walls of the cloister of the Convent of the Discalced Trinitarians, Seville. The other works from the series of eight represent: a Betrothal (Museum of Art, Raleigh), a Dormition (private collection London), an Assumption, a Virgin with San Félix de Valois and San Juan de Mata, a Descent from the cross and a Virgin with saints.¹

We are grateful to Porfessor Valdivieso for supporting the attribution to Gutiérrez on the basis of photographs.


1. See Valdivieso, under Literature, p. 408 and 409, the 'Betrothal' and 'Dormition' reproduced plates 389 and 390 respectively.